Contact lenses have been available for decades, and offer a useful way to improve a user's vision without the encumbrances of eyeglasses. Presently, there are many types of commercially-available contact lenses, including silicon hydrogel contact lenses which are made of a soft, pliable material and have good oxygen permeability. Contact lenses, such as silicon hydrogel contact lenses, may come in a variety of prescription strengths, and may also be used to alter or enhance a user's eye color.
Despite the fact that contact lenses have been available for decades, there are numerous problems with commercially-available contact lenses. First, many people have different prescription strengths for their left and right eyes, respectively. Commercially-available contact lenses do not, however, contain an easy-to-read indicator that identifies which eye a contact lens is to be worn in, or for example, the prescription of the contact lens. Once a contact lens is removed from packaging which designates the eye in which that contact lens should be worn and/or the prescription strength of that contact lens, it may be difficult for a user to thereafter determine into which eye that contact lens should be placed. A common solution to this problem is to provide a contact lens storage case that has an “R” or an “L” label on a well for a right or left eye, for which the right and left contact lenses are to be placed, respectively. However, this solution still suffers from drawbacks. For example, if a user mistakenly places a contact lens into the wrong well of the storage case, it may be difficult to determine into which eye that contact lens should be placed.
Second, soft contact lenses, such as silicon hydrogel contact lenses, are made of soft, pliable material, and therefore may be turned inside out. When a contact lens is turned inside out, and placed on the eye, it may be uncomfortable and result in visual impairment. Often times, when removing a contact lens from its storage case, it becomes difficult to determine if that contact lens is in the correct orientation. Commercially-available contact lenses do not, unfortunately, contain an easy-to-read indicator that identifies whether the contact lens is in the proper orientation for placement on the eye.
There is also a known problem that two or more persons may mix up their contact lenses. For example, if a husband and wife both place their contact lenses in the same storage case (e.g., two contact lenses in a single well) it may be difficult to thereafter determine whether a particular contact lens is the husband's or the wife's.
While it is known to place markings or etchings on contact lenses to distinguish, for example, a lens for the right eye or left eye, such as small dots, commercially-available contact lenses do not contain such markings. This is likely because markings, such as small dots, may be difficult to see on contact lenses, and are therefore unhelpful to the user. It is also likely that commercially-available contact lenses do not incorporate larger markings because they would interfere with the user's vision when the lens is placed in the eye, or may look unsightly.
There is a significant need for a contact lens that incorporates an easy-to-read indicator that is visible under certain conditions, but will not interfere with a user's vision or be noticeable when worn by a user. For example, there is a need for a contact lens that incorporates an indicator, such as one indicating that the contact lens is a “left” or “right” contact lens (e.g., “L” or “R”), or indicating that the contact lens is in the proper orientation (e.g., “UP”), that is visible when in contact with a solution, but once removed from that solution, is not visible and does not interfere with a user's vision when the lens is placed on the eye.
The easy-to-read indicator of the present invention overcomes these problems of the prior art.